Final BSC Manual 10.18F

BALANCED SCORECARDS FOR
SMALL RURAL HOSPITALS:

Concept Overview & Implementation
Guidance
BALANCED SCORECARDS FOR SMALL RURAL HOSPITALS:

Concept Overview & Implementation Guidance
Produced by the Mountain States Group, Inc. via funding

provided by the United States Department of Health and Human
Services, Program Support Center, Contract Number #282-980010, Task Order #8

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
A.
Introduction
B.
Brief History of Balanced Scorecard Efforts
C.
Background
Definition of Balanced Scorecard

Traditional Perspectives
Balances
6
7
9
Modifying BSC Approach
D.
E.
F.
Basic Assumptions
Principles Readiness Assessment
Engaging/Involving Leadership
Education of Internal/External Stakeholders
Data: Gathering, Processing, & Benchmarking
Building Long-term Sustainability
10
11
12
13
14
15
Essential Components of Rural BSC Model
16
Readiness Assessment
Planning
Technical Implementation
Organizational Integration
Operations/Modification
18
20
34
37
38
Conclusion
38
Appendices
1.
Tools/Performance Aids
2.
BSC Example
3.
Terminology Definitions
4.
Additional Resources

A.
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this publication is to describe the process of implementing a Balanced
Scorecard (BSC) initiative in a small rural hospital setting, including how to identify if an
organization is ready for the implementation phase, what the various steps are in the process,
what key principles need to be considered that are common to rural hospitals, and what a rural
hospital Balanced Scorecard would look like.
This effort was undertaken because of the belief that the Balanced Scorecard can be
useful and adaptable to small rural hospitals, but that the process and approach must be tailored
to their requisite resources (time, expertise, money) in order for implementation to be practical
and successful. Additionally, this publication is an attempt to describe a more relevant
implementation model designed to better fit the needs of rural hospitals.
B.
BRIEF HISTORY OF BALANCED SCORECARD EFFORTS

Since the early 1990s when Robert Kaplan, a professor at Harvard University and David
Norton, a consultant from the Boston area, developed the Balanced Scorecard, there have been
many different Balanced Scorecard applications in all types of industries both in the United
States and internationally. Several articles and books have been written on the Balanced
Scorecard methodology and there are a variety of software products to assist and expedite
implementation of this performance measurement process. Historically, performance
improvement systems have focused on measurements and indicators alone. What is unique
about the Balanced Scorecard approach, in contrast to other methods, is that it links strategy with
4
performance and goes beyond the traditional financial metrics in determining whether or not an
organization has been successful. Integral to BSC is the notion that an organizations strategies
and their execution are among the most important factors in performance improvement.
The shift from an industrialized economy to a knowledge/information economy has
necessitated a change in how value is determined. According to management researchers, value
is now associated more with intangible assets (employees/knowledge) than traditional tangible
assets (equipment/plant). Instead of focusing solely on historical financial data, new
management concepts were needed to more effectively assess how well an organization was
performing. Only 35percent of respondents to a Performance Measurement Survey rated their
current performance measurement systems as effective or very effective (American Institute of
Certified Public Accountants and Lawrence S. Maisel, 2001).
In 1999, a Fortune magazine story suggested that 70 percent of CEO failures came not as
a result of poor strategy, but of poor execution. In addition, it is estimated that nine out of ten
organizations fail to implement their strategies 1 .
Over the past twelve years, several methodologies have been developed in various
industries to address the need for a more balanced way to assess and manage performance (e.g.
Six Sigma, TQM, CQI, etc.). The fields of organizational development and human performance
technology have blossomed in this decade, all focused on better methods to assess and manage
performance in organizations.
The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) now has a documented history of successful
implementation in several industries including healthcare. Benefits of implementation have
included:
Balanced Scorecard: Step-by-Step: Maximizing Performance and Maintaining Results; Paul R. Niven; 2002; John
Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.
increased financial returns;
greater employee alignment to overall goals;
improved collaboration; and
unrelenting focus on strategy.
Most healthcare BSC implementations, such as those profiled in Kaplan and Nortons literature,
have occurred in urban centers that have larger and more specialized staff, IT capacity, and
resources. Smaller hospitals in Arkansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Pennsylvania
have also used the BSC with promising outcomes.
The challenge is to find a way to implement the Balanced Scorecard in small rural
hospitals that is meaningful, relevant, and affordable.
C.
BACKGROUND
Definition of Balanced Scorecard
The Balanced Scorecard is a tool that translates an organization's mission and strategy
into a comprehensive set of performance measures that provides the framework for a strategic
measurement and management system. 2 The Balanced Scorecard is an approach for driving
organizational improvement toward pre-selected goals which keeps track of progress through
carefully selected measures. The Balanced Scorecard is also an integrated management system
consisting of three components: 1) strategic management system, 2) communication tool, and 3)
measurement system. 3 It results in a carefully selected set of measures derived from and linked
to an organizations core strategies. The measures selected for the scorecard represent a tool for
Balanced Scorecard Collaborative. http://www.bscol.com

leaders to use in communicating to employees and external stakeholders the outcomes and
performance drivers by which the organization will achieve its mission and strategic objectives.
Companies are using the scorecard to:
clarify and update strategy;
communicate strategy throughout the company;
align unit and individual goals with strategy;
link strategic objectives to long term targets and annual budgets;
identify and align strategic initiatives; and to
conduct periodic performance reviews to learn about and improve strategy.

Traditional Perspectives
There are a number of balances in the BSC, among which are the balance or
equilibrium between four historical domains or perspectives considered to be mutually linked in
terms of strategy and performance:
1. Learning and Growth Perspective
2. Internal Process Perspective
3. Customer Perspective
4. Financial Perspectives
Paul Nivens analogy of the Balanced Scorecard is that of a tree (see Figure 1). The
Learning and Growth perspective are the roots, the trunk is the Internal Process perspective,
Customers are the branches, and the leaves are the Financial perspective. Each perspective is
interdependent on those below as well as those above. It is a continuous cycle of renewal and
growth. Leaves (finances) fall to fertilize the ground and root system, which stimulates growth
throughout the organization. In this analogy, learning and growth is the foundation on which all
other perspectives are built. For example, if a hospital assesses patient satisfaction and discovers
patients arent satisfied (Customer Perspective), one of the strategies might be the
implementation of employee training in the area of customer service (Learning & Growth
Perspective). Improved customer service through a reduction of wait time in the emergency
room (Internal Process Perspective) can ultimately improve utilization (Financial Perspective).
Refer to Figure 2. There are definite cause and effects between and among each of the four
perspectives. The key is to identify the right strategies.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Balances
One of the reasons the Balanced Scorecard has been so successful is that it is a balanced
approach. This balance includes:
1. Balance between financial and non-financial indicators of success
2. Balance between internal and external constituents of the organization
3. Balance between lag and lead indicators of performance
Internal constituents might include employees whereas external constituents might include
physician groups or insurers. Lag indicators generally represent past performance and might
include customer satisfaction or revenue. Although these measures are objective and accessible,
they lack any predictive power. Lead indicators are the performance drivers that lead to the
achievement of lag indicators and often include the measurement of processes and activities. For
example, ER wait time might represent a leading indicator of patient satisfaction. A Balanced
Scorecard should contain a variety of different measures.
D.
MODIFYING THE BALANCED SCORECARD APPROACH

As stated earlier, a modified Balanced Scorecard approach is probably necessary for
small rural hospitals because of a lack of infrastructure in terms of information technology, staff
time and expertise, resources to pay for consultants and ongoing expenses, and the practicality
and meaningfulness of existing measures. The remainder of this document will focus on the
basic assumptions and principles entailed in modifying the process, the actual components of a
modified Balanced Scorecard process, and suggested performance indicators that could be
incorporated into a rural hospital Balanced Scorecard. Figure 3 is an example of the Balanced
Scorecard model described in this publication and adapted from Kaplan and Norton.
Figure 3
Financial Perspective
If we succeed, how will we
look to our community?
Internal Process Perspective
Customer Perspective
To satisfy our patients, which

business and medical processes
must we excel at?
To achieve our mission, how

must we look to our patients,
medical staff, and community?
Learning & Growth Perspective

To achieve our mission, how
must our organization learn and
improve
Basic Assumptions
How does a rural hospital know that its strategies give attention to all aspects of
performance? Do they overemphasize expense management versus revenue generation? Do
they address the needs of all customers, including patients, physicians, and the community atlarge? Are internal processes improved to support quality and patient satisfaction goals? Are
resources applied to filling the gaps in skills and knowledge among the staff?
Rural hospitals have many initiatives running concurrently, and at any point in time, it is often
difficult to know the progress (percent completion) and even if they are continuing to move in
10
the right direction. For those hospitals seeking to use the Balanced Scorecard as an approach for
performance management, some prerequisites are required:
1.
A strategic plan supported by the Board.
2.
Accountability for implementation must be assigned to the Administration by the

Board, which retains interest and oversight without micromanaging.
3.
Individuals and departments must be provided adequate resources and support

while agreeing to be held accountable, and to hold each other accountable, for
BSC results.
4.
Achievable and unambiguous measures of success must be selected.
5.
Reporting and monitoring mechanisms need to be accessible, regular, and userfriendly.
6.
The process must be simple, affordable and achievable within existing resources.
Principles
Before attempting to implement a Balanced Scorecard process in any organization, it is
essential that key leadership (administrator/CEO, department managers, board of directors, and
medical staff leadership) are fully committed to the process in terms of involvement, conceptual
understanding, communication, and serving as process champions. Without this commitment,
efforts will be significantly hampered and results jeopardized. Before BSC can be successfully
implemented, the organizations mission, vision, and strategic plan must be well-defined and
current. Because performance measures are dependent on the future strategies identified by the
organization, they should be in place at the outset. Other factors include the need to develop a
11
performance management system, the financial resources available for implementation, the
involvement of key individuals who manage data collection systems, and staff time. Refer to
page 16 and Appendix 1 for a discussion and list of readiness assessment tools.
Engaging/Involving Leadership
Gaining the sponsorship and commitment of leadership is not easy. Most administrators
have a myriad of demands that compete for their time and attention and often eliminate those
ideas and activities that seem nonessential. In a study conducted for the Balanced Scorecard
Report, respondents reported that the CEO, more than any other individual, was the sponsors of
the Balanced Scorecard. 4 A good way to enlist CEO support is through the demonstration of
results. Success stories of Balanced Scorecard implementations can be found in the literature
(books/articles) and on several Websites: refer to www.bcol.com for healthcare examples.
There are signs that may signal the need for a new performance measurement system in a
rural hospital. These include:
Performance is acceptable on all dimensions except profit;
Patients dont use the facility even when prices are competitive;
No one notices when performance measurement reports arent produced;
Managers spend significant time debating the meaning of the measures;
They havent changed their measures in a long time;
They have too many meetings and not enough action;
Staff says nothing ever changes here;
Department managers do not work in teams effectively to make changes;
12
The same problems keep coming up because root causes are not addressed;
Administration doesnt have time to stay on top of everything; and
They recently changed their organizations strategy.
Education through well designed/delivered presentations on performance management

and the Balanced Scorecard can overcome most serious objections over time. It is essential,
however, that the administrator/CEO must be fully involved and committed in this effort.
Developing and implementing a Balanced Scorecard is a commitment to managing in a different
way one that commits the organization to certain accountabilities and performance standards.
Ron Heifetz of Harvard University writes: The real heroism of leadership involves having the
courage to face realityand help the people around you to face reality. Effective leadership, he
maintains, is influencing an organization to face its problems and live into its
opportunitiesand mobilizing people to tackle touch challenges. BSC is not a one-shot
process; therefore, those interested in using BSC should view it as a long-term process and be
prepared to commit to change over a longer period of time (3 to 5 years).
Education of Internal & External Stakeholders

It is imperative that whomever initiates the process has a good understanding of Balanced
Scorecard concept and theory, and can communicate this clearly to all leadership (CEO, senior
administrative team, physicians, department managers, and board of directors). Leadership
members need to understand this concept and be prepared to educate others in the facility. The
key to successful implementation hinges on clearly communicating to everyone in the facility
their respective role(s) in achieving specific performance measures and gaining organizationwide support and commitment. Appendix 1 contains an overview of the challenges faced by
13
nurses, managers, administrators, and board members and how the Balanced Scorecard can help
with solutions. 5
Data: Gathering, Processing, & Benchmarking

One of the key principles in the Balanced Scorecard process is identifying those
indicators that accurately measure the accomplishment of strategies. There should also be a
cause and effect relationship between the strategies selected and the overall mission of the
organization. Another important consideration is the infrastructure for data collection. IT
infrastructure varies widely among rural hospitals; some will have sophisticated IT systems,
while others have virtually none. The existing facility infrastructure should be considered when
implementing the Balanced Scorecard. In addition to infrastructure issues, staff expertise and
time must be considered. One of the benefits of developing a Balanced Scorecard is that it
should help to eliminate unnecessary collection and reporting of data by identifying only those
measures that are linked to strategies. Time spent on collecting and reporting data that has no
direct bearing on achievement of performance strategies can be minimized. Because an
organization has always done it this way is not a good reason to continue.
Finally, the concept of benchmarking deserves some consideration. Benchmarking can
be internal or external. With internal benchmarking, a hospital selects a set of measurements and
indicators that tie to internal standards established without regard to performance by peer
hospitals (e.g., maximum waiting times for an outpatient visit, the maximum time before a
patient is greeted in the Emergency Department, the percentage of patient bills that are errorfree). Internal benchmarking focuses on the rate of improvement rather than reaching an
external standard or benchmark. External benchmarking relies on standards and measurements
5
Provided by Stroudwater Associates
14
that relate to peer hospitals. Many small hospital networks, as well as vendors have relevant
financial, quality, and process data available that allow hospitals to compare themselves to others
of a similar size and service profile. External benchmarking data can be useful in helping to
determine whether a hospitals performance is comparable to its peer group. However, external
data is not always comparable between geographic regions, the cost of obtaining data may be
beyond the financial resources of some hospitals, and the greatest danger to external
benchmarking is regression to the mean. For example, if one hospitals days in accounts
receivables are 65 and the rural average is 65, does that mean that opportunities for further
improvement should be ignored? Hospitals need not rely on the most exotic data they can
find. Using common internal indicators or using data from regional networks and alliances can
provide good results while keeping costs down and reducing the staff burden for data collection.
Building Long-term Sustainability

There have been a number of companies that embark on implementing Balanced
Scorecard efforts, only to discover they lack the time, commitment, and resources to ensure these
efforts are integrated into everyday activities. Perhaps the information received didnt convince
them of the value, or they may have chosen measures that dont accurately reflect strategies, or
they didnt expect the process to be as time-consuming as it can be, or they simply failed to fully
implement the process. Implementing a Balanced Scorecard is not something that can be
accomplished overnight. CEOs in particular, should be patient. The process takes time, requires
changes within an organization at all levels, and is not something that once completed is
forgotten.
15
The principles outlined above should be used to guide the Balanced Scorecard
implementation. There are no hard and fast rules. This may be as much art as science at this
point, even though developments in the field are producing remarkable results.
E.
ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF A RURAL BSC MODEL

The following are phases or steps in a typical Balanced Scorecard process. Within each
phase are activities that need to occur. This section starts with an overview of each of the phases
and then explores each phase in greater detail. This process is an adaptation of the process
described by Kaplan and Norton. 6
Phases: (refer to Figure 4)
Readiness Assessment: identify needs, resources, and confirm leadership commitment.
Planning: identify leadership and participants for BSC team, complete a review of
mission/vision/values/strategies, assign strategies to BSC perspectives, develop strategy map,
identify and agree upon measures, and develop implementation plan.
Technical implementation: visions, strategies, measures entered into system via software or
training, building scorecards, setting target and alarm (or alert) levels, data consolidation rules,
defining graphs and reports (presentation of data), importing historical measurement data/
creating reports.
Organizational integration: integrate Balanced Scorecard with management and reporting
processes and communicate to all members (staff and stakeholders), definition of persons
responsible for measure data and empowerment, explanation of Balanced Scorecard objectives,
Using the Balanced Scorecard as a Strategic Management System by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton;
Harvard Business Review; 2000.
16
re-engineering management and strategy process, re-engineering reporting process, regular

reviews tied to compensation.
Operation/Modification: data update, analysis, and reporting regularly within routine processes;
refinement, update measure values/analyze results/report results/refine model or process.
Figure 4
Operation/Modification
Data Update
Analysis
Regular Reporting
Refinement
Integrate w/Existing
Communicate Objectives
Assign Measurement Data Responsibility
Input Information
(vision/strategies/measures)
Build Scorecards
Set Targets and Alert Levels
Standardize Data Definitions
Presentation of Data
Planning
Leadership Team
Strategic Review
(mission/vision/strategic plan)
Assign Strategies to BSC

Perspectives
Develop Strategy Map
Identify/Agree on Measures
Develop Implementation Plan
Identify Needs
Identify Resources
Confirm Leadership Commitment
17
One of the first areas an organization should consider is determining the value and the need
for implementing a Balanced Scorecard process. An examination of current performance
measures may help identify problem areas. Use this simple tool to assess your existing
measures. 7
Consider your measures as a group and rate them as follows:
1) No value on this goal
2) Some help on this goal
3) Quite helpful on this goal
4) Extremely valuable on this goal
How well do your performance measures:
____ Translate your business strategy into concrete actions?
____ Align departments with common goals?
____ Fully reflect what your stakeholders care about?
____ Provide the leverage to create change?
____ Balance leading and lagging indicators?
____ Balance strategic and operational indicators?
____ Enhance strategic and operational indicators?
____ Enhance your ability to compete in the future?
____ Drive improvements in how work is performed?
____ Include internal and external benchmarks to judge performance?
____ Total Score
A score of less than 18 suggests your measures are falling down on the job; if your
total is 18-27, theres solid value in your measures but also room for improvement;
scores over 27 indicate your measures are among the best.
*see page 43 for a reproducible version of this tool

Other factors to consider are what resources are available in terms of existing IT
infrastructure, staff time and expertise, and money to afford technical assistance if necessary.
What type of IT infrastructure exists? Do staff know how to use basic software? What data is
currently collected and how? Are there resources to bring in consultants to help facilitate the
7
Measuring Performance: Using the new metrics to deploy strategy and improve performance; Dr. Bob Frost,
Measurement International; 2000.
18
process? The following checklist might help assess the question of resources. Paul Niven
includes another good assessment tool in his latest book Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step for
Government and Nonprofit Agencies (p.56). 8
Yes
No
Resource Availability
Does your facility have a computer network?
Does the senior leadership have computers? (CEO/CFO/DON)
Does the senior leadership have access to the Internet?
Does the senior leadership know how to use a word processing program?
(e.g. Word, Word Perfect)
Does the senior leadership know how to use a spreadsheet program? (e.g.
Excel)
Does the senior leadership know how to use presentation software? (e.g.
Powerpoint)
Do department managers have computers?
Do department managers have access to the Internet?
Do department managers know how to use a word processing program? (e.g.
Word, Word Perfect)
Do department managers know how to use a spreadsheet program? (e.g.
Excel)
Do department managers know how to use presentation software? (e.g.
Powerpoint)
Can your facility afford to hire a consultant?
Can your facility afford the cost of benchmarking data?
*see page 44 for a reproducible version of this tool
Finally, the most significant factor to consider is whether there is a strong commitment
from leadership including the administrator/CEO, administrative team, department managers,

and the board of directors. Implementation of any type of performance improvement or
performance management system will mean change. Without the absolute commitment of senior
leadership, pushing these changes down throughout the organization (cascading) will be
difficult at best. Implementation of the Balanced Scorecard will create significant culture change
that is ongoing. If the senior leadership team is resistant to change or is unwilling to share power
8
Niven, P.R., Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step for Government and Nonprofit Agencies; John Wiley & Sons, Inc.,
New York, New York, 2003.
19
and control, the organization may want to consider a different approach to performance
improvement.
The following is a simple way to assess whether your facility may be a good candidate
for a Balanced Scorecard implementation (adapted from Niven). 9 This is an example of how
you might use it in a facility.
Criteria
Score
Weight
(out of 10)
Total
Points
Leadership Commitment
30 percent
2.40
Defined Strategy
25 percent
.75
Need
15 percent
1.20
Resources
15 percent
.60
Support of Participants
10 percent
.40
Available Data
5 percent
.15
30
100 percent
5.50
Total
Rationale
A score of 5.5 out of ten might suggest additional consideration be given those areas with
a score under 5. Lack of resources or a well-defined strategy are things that should be addressed
prior to implementation.
Planning
The first step is to identify the individual champion (typically the hospital
administrator) who will lead this process and then build the Balanced Scorecard team. Niven
Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York
20
suggests that a 7 person team is ideal. This number may be challenging for small rural hospitals
and 5 may be more attainable. In any group, it is essential to get a mix of complementary skills
and personalities. Individuals selected should possess a commitment to the common purpose and
approach and be held accountable. In addition to the hospital administrator, youll need an
individual to coordinate the Balanced Scorecard implementation, someone who is well organized
and detail oriented, and individuals who will serve as active members of the team. The
following chart describes roles and responsibilities.
Role
Responsibilities
Hospital Administrator
Assumes primary ownership for the Balanced Scorecard project
Provides background information to the team on strategy and methodology
Maintains communication with administration and management
Commits resources (both human and financial) to the team
Provides support and enthusiasm for the Balanced Scorecard throughout the
organization
Balanced Scorecard
Coordinates meetings; plans, tracks, and reports team results to all audiences
Coordinator
Provides thoughtful leadership on the Balanced Scorecard methodology to the

team
Team Members
Ensures that all relevant background material is available to the team
Provides feedback to the executive sponsor (co-leaders) and management
Facilitates the development of an effective team through coaching and support
Provide expert knowledge of business unit or functional operations
Inform and influence their respective peers and co-workers
Act as Balanced Scorecard ambassadors within their unit or department
Act in the best interests of the business as a whole
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Once the team is established, a review of the organizations mission, vision, values, and
strategies should be completed. It is
essential that organizational strategies be
current and relevant. If these elements
dont exist or if they havent been updated
within the past year or so, then efforts
should be made to update them. This can
be accomplished by a skilled facilitator at a
retreat. Usually the facilitys leadership
team, department managers, medical staff,
and governing board members participate.
It is essential that consensus on the
contents of the mission, vision, values, and
strategic plan is achieved.
Once the strategic plan is well
defined, strategies are reviewed to
Kathy Garthe, CEO/Head Coach, Leelanau

Memorial Health Center Michigan, describes
the need to have a vision for the hospital that
drives the hospitals strategies and
performance. She sees the BSC as an ideal
tool to manage these strategies. She has
incorporated the Baldridge quality principles
into their BSC and describes the BSC as an
effective tool for TQM. Her small rural
hospital currently has 38 strategic measures
which they call key critical success factors.
The BSC is reviewed monthly. Financially,
the hospital has gone from a -13% margin in
2000 to a +3% in 2003, although part of that
could be attributed to CAH conversion.
Kathy Garthe says in her hospitals
experience: Strategic objectives become the
focus of individuals and departments
throughout the hospital. Progress throughout
the year is easily measured against objectives.
The need for corrective actions can be
identified and addressed in a timely manner.
More team oriented objectives evolve in
support of strategic objectives. BSC Makes
complex issues and tasks easier to
understand.
determine where they fit within the four Balanced Scorecard perspectives: Learning and
Growth, Internal Processes, Customers, and Financial. Some organizations discover the need to
add another perspective. There is no hard and fast rule that limits an organization to the four
perspectives, as they serve as a template. For purposes of this publication, however, we chose to
focus on these four perspectives.
For example, an overall goal To maintain high level of commitment and involvement of
hospital staff, volunteers and board members through education, recognition, and support with a
22
strategy that states Provide employee in-services focused on improving patient care, would fit
under the Learning and Growth perspective.
Example
Financial
Internal Process
Customers
Learning & Growth

Strategy 1: Provide
employee in-services focused
on improving patient care
Once you have taken your strategies and grouped them under the appropriate Balanced
Scorecard perspectives, then the next step would entail identifying measures of strategy
achievement. Using the example above, the measure might be the number of employee
participants or number of in-services provided or both.
Kaplan and Norton suggest that once an organizations core strategies are established,
that a strategy map is created . 10 A strategy map represents how the organization creates value
and visually shows the detailed objectives in each of the four perspectives required for success.
10
Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P., Strategy Maps, Converting Intangible Assets into Tangible Outcomes; Harvard
Business School Press, Boston, Massachusetts; 2004.
23
Both Kaplan and Norton and Paul Niven 11 have written extensively on the strategy mapping
process and how to go about it.
A strategy map is based on the following principles:
o
Strategy balances contradictory forces (e.g. investing in intangible assets for longterm revenue growth conflicts with cutting costs for short-term financial
performance)
Strategy is based on a differentiated customer value proposition (e.g. clear

articulation of targeted customer segments (patients, medical staff) and what it
costs to please them)
Value is created through internal business processes (e.g. operations management,

customer management, innovation, regulatory and social)
Strategy consists of simultaneous complementary themes (e.g. each internal

process improvement delivers benefits at different points in time)
Strategic alignment determines the value of intangible assets (e.g. learning and
growth consists of human capital, information capital, and organization capital)
Strategy mapping provides a graphical representation of an organizational model that

shows the relationships (cause and effect) between various strategic objectives. Its a picture
story of how successful implementation of performance initiatives result in achievement of
strategies and how they are interrelated and dependent upon each other. Although Kaplan and
Norton devote an entire book to the subject of strategy maps 12 , Niven has a well-written process
11
12
Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P., Strategy Maps, Converting Intangible Assets into Tangible Outcomes; Harvard
Business School Press, Boston, Massachusetts; 2004.
24
on how to develop a strategy map 13 . He recommends the involvement of all members of the
Balanced Scorecard team, including the CEO, in a full-day session led by an outside consultant
or facilitator. All participants should have a copy of the mission, vision, values, and strategic
plan. He suggests the use of a SWOT Analysis on the four perspectives of the Balanced
Scorecard (Learning and Growth, Internal Processes, Customers, and Financial) as a mental
warm-up to development of objectives for each of the four perspectives. The following table is a
summary of the questions that might be explored in each of the four perspectives.
Perspective
Learning and Growth
Internal Process
Customer Perspective
Financial Perspective
Questions to Ask
Which organizational infrastructure elements are necessary if we are to
achieve our process and customer objectives?
Which skills and competencies do our employees require now?
Which skills and competencies will be required in the years ahead?
Do our employees have access to the information they need to help us
achieve our customer outcomes?
Is our organizational climate conducive to success?
Do we have a strong culture and alignment of goals throughout?
To continue adding value for our customers and clients, at what
processes must we excel?
After analyzing current trends, which processes might we be expected
to develop and excel at in the foreseeable future?
Who are our targeted customers?
Howe do we add value for our customers?
Which services or products do our customers require and expect from
us?
Is our service delivered at a good price?
How can we maintain current service levels while remaining within our
budget?
What opportunities do we have for enhancing revenue?
The questions outlined should generate hours of stimulating discussion. A good

facilitator will help identify key words that can be used to create the essence of important
objectives. There is no hard and fast rule for the number of objectives in a BSC. A good
13
25
guideline, however, is less is generally better. Niven suggests capping the number of
objectives between 10 and 20. Well-written objective statements will provide precise
clarification of the meaning, outline why the objective is important, discuss how the objective
will be accomplished, and describe how the objective links in the chain of cause and effect
evident in the strategy map. Once the objectives have been identified and objective statements
developed, ask these questions:
Is the cause-effect logic in the map complete? Are all the necessary elements to tell the
story accounted for?
Is the logic reflected in the map theoretically sound? Do all the elements fit together
logically?
Will the objectives outlined on the map lead to the effective execution of our strategy?
Does the map represent balance in our

efforts to achieve our mission?
Without the strategy map as a communication

tool, it is difficult to express strategy changes
as they occur. This model has already been
implemented in several hospitals. The
following is a graphic representation that
describes the construction of a strategy map.
Joe Hammond, North Sunflower HospitalMississippi remarked that he finally

understood the full impact of the BSC the day
his hospital created their BSC Strategy Map.
He realized the BSC was far more than a
measuring tool, but also provided a
framework for managing the hospitals most
important business. He also saw it as a means
of communicating strategy to both his board
and his entire staff. He notes the need for
strong executive leadership and commitment
and describes the BSC process as a distance
race rather than a sprint.
The names of the perspectives are designed to represent the operations within a hospital.
26
Hospitals Vision/Mission/Values
Finance
How do we need to perform financially to achieve our mission?
Community & Providers (Customer)

How do we meet the needs/expectations of our community,
patients, and physicians?
Clinical & Business Processes (Internal)

At which business and healthcare delivery processes must we
excel?
Learning & Growth

What type of culture, skills, training, and technology are we
going to develop to support our processes?
Once consensus has been obtained on which perspectives to use and what to name them,
the process of identifying strategies, objectives, and measures can begin. A search of the Internet
using the search words strategy map produces several examples of strategy maps. There is no
one right strategy map for all rural hospitals. Each facility must look at its mission, vision,
values, and strategies and develop a strategy map based on those items. An example of a
strategy map developed for a rural hospital as part of the Delta Rural Hospital Performance
Improvement (RHPI) Project is on page 30.
Following the development of a strategy map, one of the more time consuming activities
is the identification of specific measures that will be used to track accomplishment of strategic
objectives. Measuring performance has been a hospital task since long before the development
of the Balanced Scorecard. The trick is making sure the right things are being measured.
27
There are three types of performance measures: input measures, output measures, and
outcome measures. Input measures include staff time or budgetary resources. Output
measures include number of people served or units produced by a program or service. Input and
output measures demonstrate effort expended and numbers served but tell little about whether
these interventions are making a difference. Outcome measures track the benefit received by
stakeholders as a result of an organizations efforts. Most would agree outcome measures
provide the best information for decision-making. A Balanced Scorecard should include a mix
of input, output, and outcome measures and a mix of lag and lead indicators. Lag indicators
measure whether targets have been met, while lead indicators measure progress along the way.
Employee satisfaction is an example of a lag indicator while absenteeism is an example of a lead
indicator.
28
29
The essential objective in selecting specific measures for a scorecard is to identify the
measure that best communicates the meaning of a strategy. There are several core outcome
measures that Kaplan and Norton have identified and include:
Core Financial Measures
Return-on-investment/economic value-added
Profitability
Revenue growth/mix
Cost reduction productivity
Core Customer Measures
Market share
Customer acquisition
Customer retention
Customer profitability
Customer satisfaction
Core Learning and Growth Measures
Employee satisfaction
Employee retention
Employee productivity
Measures should be developed for each of the perspectives agreed upon. In the process
of identifying measures, refer to the table on page 19 for questions to ask in the process of
identifying measures. There will no doubt be more measures than resources to collect the data,
so it is important to narrow these measures to the critical few that are:
linked to your strategy,
30
are easy to understand,
can be linked together in a chain of cause and effect,
can be updated frequently,
are accessible,
portray a true picture of the process or event youre attempting to capture,
are resistant to date related measures,
are quantitative, and
functional.
Once measures have been identified, the team should spend time refining the measures,
assigning ownership, and identifying data requirements. This would be a good time to gather
employee feedback on the measures to make sure they are practical and represent cause-effect
linkages. Once consensus on the measures has been obtained, the Balanced Scorecard team can
establish targets for the measures.
There are any number of measures that a rural hospital might select. Using the strategy
map on page 30 and the four perspectives Learning & Growth (Learning & Knowledge), Clinical
& Business Processes (Internal Processes), Community and Providers (Customer), and Finance
(Financial), these measures might include:
Learning & Growth
o Nursing Staff Turnover
o Staff Turnover
o Staff Loyalty Index
o Medical Error Policy
o Staff Training Dollars
31
o Access to Training
o Mission Index
o Staff Engagement Index
Clinical & Business Processes (Internal Processes)
o
Contractual Allowances
Bad Debt Expense
Net Days in A/R
Unbilled A/R
MD Engagement Index
Average Age of Plant
Falls: Acute Care
Falls: Swing Beds
Medical Error Rate
ER Wait Time
Responsiveness
ACE Inhibitor Delivery
Beta Blocker Delivery
Antibiotic Delivery
Aspirin Delivery
Community & Providers (Customer)

o MD Loyalty Index
o Time to Treating Provider
o Courtesy & Respect
32
o Patient Engagement
o Inpatient Satisfaction
o Emergency Department Satisfaction
o Patient Access Index
Finance (Financial)
o Operating Profit Margin
o Days Cash on Hand
o Commercial Mix
o Net Revenue Increase
o Cost Per Patient Day
o Salary & Benefit Expense
o Nursing Staff Productivity
Russ Sword, CEO Ashley County Hospital,
Arkansas, speaks of the need resources to
sustain BSC operations after the initial flurry
of development activity. There are immediate
rewards and benefits, but it takes persistence
and continuing education to drive the BSC
approach into the hospital culture. At Ashley
County Hospital a BSC team leads the
implementation of the Performance
Improvement and BSC initiatives. Currently
the hospital is measuring forty different
performance indicators and is benchmarking
its performance with 15 other hospitals.
The last activity in the Planning

Phase is the development of a plan for
implementation of the Balanced Scorecard
system. This plan should include a budget,
expected milestones, risk analysis, a
description of your IT (information
technology) system, terminology and
definitions, Balanced Scorecard elements
and structure, and clear identification of who will be responsible for what activities. This plan
should include how the BSC information will be communicated throughout the organization and
33
how feedback from employees will be obtained and integrated. This plan will form the basis for
the technical implementation and technical and organizational integration efforts that follow.
A clearly articulated plan should identify the organizations mission, visions, values,
strategies, and measures. This plan should also identify the information technology
infrastructure within the facility as well as its strengths and limitations. The risk analysis should
cost out any modifications needed in your IT infrastructure to enable those responsible for data
gathering and reporting to carry out their functions.
Some hospital may have the resources needed to purchase existing Balanced Scorecard
software. There are a number of vendors that sell complete software systems that provide the
structure needed to complete the entire Balanced Scorecard process. If a packaged software
system is desired, a request for proposals should be developed, including an on-site product
demonstration, detailed information on training and support, and assurance the software is
compatible with the existing IT system. The authors of the Gartner report Weighing the
Options - Balanced Scorecard Software, Bernard Marr and Andy Neely, have written a new
book entitled Automating Your Scorecard: The Balanced Scorecard Software Report. 14 This
report is produced every year and last updated at the end of 2003 with the aim to help
organizations through the software selection maze. The book has been designed to guide
organizations through the process of selecting the right software solution by offering a decision
framework, as well as detailed evaluations of all of the major BSC software products available
14
http://www.som.cranfield.ac.uk/som/cbp/BScorecard.html
34
today. Additionally, Microsofts OS 2003 is reported to include a specific BSC software

program, scheduled for release the end of May 2004 at a cost of less than $1,000.
If the hospital doesnt have the resources to purchase off-the-shelf software, data can be
collected, entered, analyzed, and reported utilizing standard office software such as Microsoft
Office. Training in the use of all of Microsofts applications (Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint)
is typically available either through the Internet, through local vendors certified to teach
Microsoft software applications, or through community colleges.
Scorecards can be built directly from the strategy map. A scorecard can be a table or
graphic that shows previous performance, the target, and current performance. An example of a
scorecard is provided on page 37. 15
Well designed scorecards give attention to target and alarm (or alert) levels, data
consolidation rules, defining graphs and reports, importing historical measurement data, and
creating reports. Reports can be generated for management purposes, the medical staff, the
governing board, or all three. A management report might include all data in graph form for all
four perspectives. A medical staff report might only include those data related to clinical
processes (patient satisfaction, cost per discharge, etc.). A report to the governing board might
not include all the details that a management report would have. The Balanced Scorecard team
can help design and refine the scorecards and reports that will flow out of the data collection
process. Appendix 2 contains an example of the process to implement a simplified Balanced
Scorecard.
15
Stroudwater & Associates
35
36
The most important aspect of the organizational integration phase is communication. All
Balanced Scorecard team members as well
Teresa Fisher, Director of Operational
Development, speaks of the benefits that the
BSC brought to the Pine Medical Center Staff,
Sandstone, MN. "I love the BSC. With the
BSC you always have your headlights on. The
employees become aware of where the
hospital is going and can participate fully. The
department leaders can also align their
department activities to the hospital's
strategies. They can better anticipate resource
needs and plan for the future more effectively.
People get used to checking the satisfaction
scores to see how they're doing; they come to
own the results. In our hospital there has been
a strong correlation between staff awareness of
hospital direction and staff satisfaction."
as all employees, medical staff, and

governing board members must have a
clear understanding of the structure of the
facilitys Balanced Scorecard, who is
responsible for gathering the data, inputting
the data, analyzing the data, generating
reports, and communicating the results to
the various stakeholders. One of the
benefits of this process is the identification of reports and measures that may no longer be
needed. Another aspect of this phase is what
Niven refers to as cascading or the process of
developing aligned scorecards throughout an
organization. 16 Each level of the organization
will develop scorecards based on the objectives
and measures it can influence. Cascading
allows every employee to demonstrate a
Peter Person, CEO of the SMDC Health

System (4 hospitals and 25 community clinics
in MN, WI, and MI) says: "BSC aligned the
entire organization through a common set of
well understood objectives and created a
platform for developing a single organizational
culture. It increased executive, management
and physician/staff accountability with clearly
defined targets and was an effective
communications tool for everyone. It led to a
$20M financial turnaround and return to
profitability."
contribution to overall organizational objectives.
16
37
Operation/Modification
The final phase is ongoing and includes data updates, analysis, and reporting regularly
within routine processes; refinement of measure values; analysis of results; and refinement of the
model. Once you have several quarters of data collected, measures can be analyzed to determine
if they are truly linked to the identified strategy. This phase requires an objective review of your
established processes to be certain they are providing accurate information upon which to base
decisions. This refinement process should continue throughout the life of the organization as
change is inevitable.
Conclusion
The implementation of a Balanced Scorecard process in small rural hospitals is different
from that of a Fortune 500 company. These differences include:
Overall framework aligned around strategy to achieve a mission and vision as opposed
to meeting the requirements of shareholders;
Customer complexity role of patients, physicians, and payers must be reflected in

process and measures;
Scope process must fit resource availability of providers; affordability and ease of
implementation are critical.
This publication is an attempt to lay the foundation for understanding the complexities
and benefits of the Balanced Scorecard performance improvement initiative through the
exploration of guiding principles and a description of various phases of Balanced Scorecard
implementation. These phases include:
Readiness
assessment
38
Planning
Technical
implementation
Organizational
integration
Operation/modification
The appendices contain various examples of assessment tools, a simplified example of the BSC
process, terminology definitions, and additional resources (books, articles, and Websites).
Falls Memorial Hospital, International Falls, MN was down to 5 days cash on hand when
Mary Klimp became CEO in late 1998. On the Canadian border in northern Minnesota, the
hospital is 100 miles away from any secondary center and 165 miles from a tertiary care
center in Duluth. ADC was 3.5, Margin - 3 %. They did strategic planning in 1999 and
began the BSC in 2000. Without outside consulting assistance, they put the BSC on an
Excel spread sheet and used the scorecard with their board, administration, medical staff,
department managers and with all staff. It was part of the orientation of every new
employee and was posted throughout the hospital. The implementation process took 9
months but she estimates that ongoing implementation takes no more than 7 hours a month.
Currently Falls Memorial is measuring 16 different performance indicators on its BSC
They attribute a remarkable turnaround in hospital performance to the BSC. As of late
2003, the hospital had nearly 100 days cash on hand, a profit margin of 15 % and had
undertaken extensive capital expansion. It's inpatient census had also more than tripled to
11. Leadership attributes the improvement primarily to the BSC.
Mary Klimp says: "Don't start from scratch use existing data if available. Pick a few vital
indicators -- fewer is better than too many. Communicate and educate at all levelsfrequently. Continue to reinforce the balanced perspective. Don't wait for the perfect
measures-refine as you go along. It takes time to bake the scorecard into the organization's
daily work".
Mary says that "My proudest BSC moment was when I met a housekeeper in the hall who
remarked that the BSC indicated that the hospital was doing great and that she was proud
to work here." Mary believes that this widespread staff understanding of strategy has been
important marketing for the hospital.
39
Appendix 1: TOOLS/PERFORMANCE AIDS
40
41
ASSESSING EXISTING MEASURES

Consider your measures as a group and rate them as follows:
1 - No value on this goal
2 - Some help on this goal
3 - Quite helpful on this goal
4 - Extremely valuable on this goal
How well do your performance measures:
____ Translate your business strategy into concrete actions?
____ Align departments with common goals?
____ Fully reflect what your stakeholders care about?
____ Provide the leverage to create change?
____ Balance leading and lagging indicators?
____ Balance strategic and operational indicators?
____ Enhance strategic and operational indicators?
____ Enhance your ability to compete in the future?
____ Drive improvements in how work is performed?
____ Include internal and external benchmarks to judge performance?
____ Total Score
A score of less than 18 suggests your measures are falling down on the job; if your
total is 18-27, theres solid value in your measures but also room for improvement;
scores over 27 indicate your measures are among the best.
42
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
Yes
No
Resource Availability
Does your facility have a computer network?
Does the senior leadership have computers? (CEO/CFO/DON)
Does the senior leadership have access to the Internet?
Does the senior leadership know how to use a word processing program?
(e.g. Word, Word Perfect)
Does the senior leadership know how to use a spreadsheet program? (e.g.
Excel)
Does the senior leadership know how to use presentation software? (e.g.
Powerpoint)
Do department managers have computers?
Do department managers have access to the Internet?
Do department managers know how to use a word processing program? (e.g.
Word, Word Perfect)
Do department managers know how to use a spreadsheet program? (e.g.
Excel)
Do department managers know how to use presentation software? (e.g.
Powerpoint)
Can your facility afford to hire a consultant?
Can your facility afford the cost of benchmarking data?
43
Appendix 2: BALANCED SCORECARD EXAMPLE

The following is an example of how one might develop a Balanced Scorecard. The information
included is fictional and is provided to simply demonstrate the process.
Anytown Hospital has just finished a two-day retreat where they revised and updated their
mission and vision statements and drafted a strategic plan. The hospitals vision statement is:
The vision of Anytown Hospital is to be the communitys provider of choice.
The hospitals mission statement is:
Anytown Hospital is committed to providing the highest quality of health care through
service excellence and compassionate care
During their retreat, the hospital board and leadership identified the following strategies to
pursue the upcoming year.
Operate in the black with 5 percent margin by increasing revenues

Motivate, recognize and retain staff
Provide high quality services
Increase utilization of services
The Anytown Hospital administrator enlisted the help of the department managers to implement
a performance improvement process and Balanced Scorecard. First, they took these strategies
and placed them into their appropriate perspectives as follows:
Learning and Growth
Perspective (Staff & Clinicians)
Internal Process Perspective

(Quality & Safety)
Motivate, recognize and retain

staff
Customer Perspective (Patients

& Community)
Financial Perspectives (Business

& Development)
44
Operate in the black with 5%

margin by increasing revenues
NOTE: Once strategies are categorized according to the four perspectives, if there are
imbalances, determine if they are significant and either add or remove strategies accordingly.
The next step is to determine the causal linkages between the strategies and develop a strategy
map to visually portray how your strategies support your mission and vision. One of the primary
reasons for developing a strategy map is that it should clearly communicate the connection
between strategies and mission and is an excellent communication tool. The following is
Anytown Hospitals strategy map.
MISSION: Anytown Hospital is committed to providing the highest quality of health care
through service excellence and compassionate care
Financial Perspectives (Business & Development)

Operate in the black with 5% margin by increasing revenues
RESULTS IN
Customer Perspective (Patients & Community)

RESULTS IN
Internal Process Perspective (Quality & Safety)

RESULTS IN
Learning and Growth Perspective (Staff & Clinicians)
45
Once you have your strategy map, you can start identifying what actions you will take to achieve
strategies and how you will measure the progress in accomplishing each strategy. The following
are a few examples of actions you might implement under each strategy and two measures that
could be used to track accomplishment of each strategy. For purposes of this example, both a lag
(historical performance) and a lead (predictor of future performance) indicator are used.
Learning and Growth Perspective (Staff & Clinicians):
ACTIONS:
Develop performance based compensation
Develop peer recognition program
Review/update salary/benefits to ensure competitiveness
MEASURES:
Employee satisfaction (lag indicator)
Turnover rate (lead indicator)
Internal Process Perspective (Quality & Safety):
ACTIONS:
Review ER patient flow process and streamline
Review ER staffing to ensure adequacy
Implement automated pharmaceutical dispensing
MEASURES:
percent ER patient triaged within 15 minutes of arrival (lead indicator)
Medication errors per dose (lag indicator)
Customer Perspective (Patients & Community):
ACTIONS:
Implement customer service
Implement marketing plan
MEASURES:
Patient satisfaction in 95 percent-tile (lag indicator)
Average daily census (lead indicator)
46
Financial Perspectives (Business & Development):

Operate in the black with 5 percent margin by increasing revenues
ACTIONS:
Review billing and collections processes for accuracy and timeliness
Develop incentive program for AR staff
MEASURES:
Net revenue increase over prior year (lag indicator)
Decrease net days in accounts receivable (lead indicator)
Once the measures are identified, youll need to determine whether the data is currently available
or will need to be collected. For example, you may already have data on employee terminations
that could be used to calculate turnover rate on a monthly basis by department. You may have to
purchase or design employee or patient satisfaction surveys to solicit their input. Employee
surveys can be completed quarterly or annually and patient satisfaction surveys could be
ongoing.
After data sources have been
identified, the team
(administrator/department
managers) should assign
responsibility for the collection of
this data. Individuals within the
business office would probably
collect the net revenue and AR
data; someone who manages
human resources or salary/payroll
functions might be responsible for
collecting data on turnover rates or
employee satisfaction; the
individual responsible for quality
assurance or improvement might
be responsible for collecting data
on ER triage time or medication
errors; etc. (see example to right)
EXAMPLE
The human resource manager could set up a simple
excel spreadsheet that contains total employees by
department by month and terminations (both voluntary
and involuntary) within each department. A ratio of # of
terminations divided by total employees per department
could be calculated easily and tracked each month. That
data could be aggregated for the entire facility as well.
If, for example, you have a large number of voluntary
terminations (people are quitting), you could determine
in which department these tend to occur and implement
exit interviews to determine cause. If the terminations
are involuntary (people are fired), you might want to
review the reasons for termination and/or the hiring
practices to make sure the best candidates are being
hired.
Assignments should be made to an

individual to collect data, and the team should establish timelines for collection, deadlines for
reporting, targets (what you hope to achieve) and report formats. Using the example above, at
the end of each month, the HR manager gets the employee data from whoever processes payroll
and enters it into the spreadsheet. He/she then generates a chart showing the trends. Refer to
Figure 1. The deadline for completion of this task is established at the 5th of each month, the
target is established at 0 percent or no turnover, and the HR manager is responsible for
submitting the data to the team in the agreed upon format.
47
Figure 1
Each responsible individual is given the task of collecting the data, analyzing the data, and
reporting the data back to the team. The team can then discuss options, modify actions or
activities intended to achieve strategies, or just keep tabs on progress.
A Balanced Scorecard could be put together by simply including each report generated by the
team members or designated individuals. On the following page is a simplified report of four
measures employee turnover, percentage of patients seen in ER within 15 minutes, patient
satisfaction, and average days in accounts receivables. For each chart, the target is included.
This example of a Balanced Scorecard is oversimplified but it doesnt need to be anymore
complicated than a few charts with relevant data. This information can be collected, stored,
analyzed, and reports generated in Microsoft Office products or other similar software products.
48
49
Appendix 3: TERMINOLOGY DEFINITIONS 17
1. Activity measures: These measures typically track the actions or behaviors an

organization performs using its inputs of staff time and financial resources.
2. Balanced Scorecard: An integrated framework for describing and translating strategy
through the use of linked performance measures in four balanced perspectives:
Customer, Internal Processes, Learning and Growth, and Financial. The Balanced
Scorecard acts as a measurement system, strategic management system, and
communication tool.
3. Benchmarking: The comparison of similar processes across organizations and industries
to identify best practices, set improvement targets, and measure progress.
4. Cascading: The process of developing aligned Scorecards throughout an organization.
Each level of the organization will develop Scorecards based on the objectives and
measures it can influence from the Scorecard of the group to which they report.
5. Cause and effect: The concept of cause and effect separates the Balanced Scorecard from
other performance management systems. The measures appearing on the Scorecard
should link together in a series of cause-and-effect relationships to tell the organizations
strategic story.
6. Customer perspective: One of the four standard perspectives used with the Balanced
Scorecard. The role of the Customer perspective is often elevated to the top of the
Balanced Scorecard model in public-sector and nonprofit organizations.
17
50
7. Efficiency measures: These measures evaluate the cost of each unit of service delivered.
They typically begin with cost per.
8. Employee learning and growth perspective: One of the four standard perspectives used
with the Balanced Scorecard. Measures in this perspective are often considered
enablers of the measures appearing in the other three perspectives. Employee skills,
availability of information, and organizational climate are often measured in this
perspective.
9. Financial perspective: One of the four standard perspectives used with the Balanced
Scorecard. In public-sector and nonprofit applications of the Balanced Scorecard,
measures in the financial perspective are viewed as constraints within which the
organization must operate.
10. Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA): Signed into law in 1993, the GPRA
requires federally funded agencies to develop and implement an accountability system
based on performance measurement, including setting goals and objectives and measure
progress toward achieving them. The law emphasizes what is being accomplished as
opposed to what is being spent.
11. Human capital: May be considered a metaphor for the transition in organizational value
creation from physical assets to the capabilities of employees-knowledge, skills, and
relationships. Human capital is closely related to terms such as intellectual capital and
intangible assets. Recent estimates suggest that as much as 75 percent of an
organizations value is attributable to human capital.
12. Initiatives: The specific programs, activities, projects, or actions an organization will
undertake in an effort to meet performance targets.
51
13. Input measures: These measures track resources used to drive organizational results.
Typical inputs include staff time and financial resources.
14. Internal processes perspective: One of the four standard perspectives used with the
Balanced Scorecard. Measures in this perspective are used to monitor the effectiveness
of key processes the organization must excel at in order to continue adding value for
customers, given the finite resources available.
15. Lagging indicator: Performance measures that represent the consequences of actions
previously taken are referred to as lag indicators. They frequently focus on results at the
end of a time period and characterize historical performance. Employee satisfaction may
be considered a lag indicator. A good Balanced Scorecard must contain a mix of lag and
lead indicators.
16. Leading indicator. These measures are considered the drivers of lagging indicators.
There is an assumed relationship between the two that suggests improved performance in
a leading indicator will drive better performance in the lagging indicator. For example,
lowering absenteeism (a leading indicator) is hypothesized to drive improvements in
employee satisfaction ( a lagging indicator).
17. Measure: A standard used to evaluate and communicate performance against expected
results. Measures are normally quantitative in nature, capturing numbers, dollars,
percentages, and so on. Reporting and monitoring measures help an organization gauge
progress toward effective implementation of strategy.
18. Mission statement: A mission statement defines the core purpose of the organization
why it exists. The mission examines the underlying principle for the organization, and
52
reflects employee motivations for engaging in the organizations work. Effective

missions are inspiring, long term in nature, and easily understood and communicated.
19. Objective: A concise statement describing the specific things organizations must do well
in order to execute its strategy. Objectives often begin with action verbs such as
increase, reduce, improve, achieve, and the like.
20. Outcome measures: These measures track the benefit received by stakeholders as a result
of the organizations operations. They may also be known as impact measures. Outcome
measures track the extent to which an organization has achieved its overall goals.
Possible examples include: reduce incidence of HIV and increase perception of
public safety.
21. Output measures: These measures track the number of people served, services provided,
or units produced by a program or service. Number of inoculations provided and number
of potholes filled are examples.
22. Perspective: In Balanced Scorecard vernacular, perspective refers to a category of
performance measures. Most organizations choose the standard four perspectives
(Financial, Customer, Internal Processes, Learning and Growth); however, the Balanced
Scorecard represents a dynamic framework, and additional perspectives may be added as
necessary to adequately translate and describe an organizations strategy.
23. Stakeholder: Any person or group that has a stake in the success of the organization.
Stakeholders for public and nonprofit organizations may include: employees, customers
and clients, funders, elected officials, citizens, special-interest groups, suppliers, media,
financial community, and partners. All stakeholders must be considered when
53
developing mission, values, vision, strategy, and Balanced Scorecard objectives and
measures.
24. Strategic management system: Describes the use of the Balanced Scorecard in aligning
an organizations short-term actions with strategy. Often accomplished by cascading the
Balanced Scorecard to all levels of the organization, aligning budgets, and business plans
to strategy, and using the Scorecard as a feedback and learning mechanism.
25. Strategic resource allocation: The process of aligning budgets with strategy by using the
Balanced Scorecard to make resource allocation decisions. Using this method, budgets
are based on the initiatives necessary to achieve Balanced Scorecard targets.
26. Strategy: Represents the broad priorities adopted by an organization in recognition of its
operating environment and in pursuit of its mission. Situated at the center of the
Balanced Scorecard system, all performance measures should align with the
organizations strategy. Strategy remains one of the most widely discussed and debated
topics in the world of modern organizations.
27. Strategy map: Balanced Scorecard architects Kaplan and Norton coined this term to
describe the interrelationships among measures that weave together to describe an
organizations strategy.
28. Target: Represents the desired result of a performance measure. Targets make
meaningful the results derived from measurement and provide organizations with
feedback regarding performance.
29. Value proposition: A value proposition describes how an organization will differentiate
itself to customers and the particular set of values it will deliver. To develop a customer
value proposition, many organizations will choose one of the three disciplines articulated
54
by Treacy and Wiersema in the Discipline of Market Leaders: operational excellence

(WalMart), product leadership (Nike), or customer intimacy (Nordstrom).
30. Values: Values represent the deeply held beliefs within the organization and are
demonstrated through the day-to-day behaviors of all employees. An organizations
values make an open proclamation about how it expects everyone to behave. Values
should endure over the long term and provide a constant source of strength for an
organization.
31. Vision: A powerful vision provides everyone in the organization with a shared mental
framework that helps give form to the often abstract future that lies ahead. Effective
visions provide a word picture of what the organization intends ultimately to become,
which may be 5, 10, or 15 years in the future. This statement should not be abstract; it
should contain as concrete a picture of the desired state as possible, and provide the basis
for formulating strategies and objectives.
55
Appendix 4: ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Books
Frost, B., Measuring Performance: Using the New Metrics to Deploy Strategy and Improve
Performance; Measurement International, Dallas, Texas, 2000.
Goldratt, Eliyahu, The Goal A Process of Ongoing Improvement; Second Edition, The North
River Press, Great Barrington, Massachusetts, 1992.
Hammer, Michael, Beyond Reengineering How the Process-Centered Organization is
Changing Our Work and Our Lives; HarperCollins Publisher, Inc., New York, New York, 1997.
Harbour, J.L., The Basics of Performance Measurement; Productivity Press, Portland, Oregon,
1997.
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Web sites
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Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard
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60
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BALANCED SCORECARDS FOR

SMALL RURAL HOSPITALS:

BALANCED SCORECARDS FOR SMALL RURAL HOSPITALS:

Produced by the Mountain States Group, Inc. via funding

BALANCED SCORECARDS FOR SMALL RURAL HOSPITALS:

Brief History of Balanced Scorecard Efforts

Definition of Balanced Scorecard

Modifying BSC Approach

Essential Components of Rural BSC Model

BALANCED SCORECARDS FOR SMALL RURAL HOSPITALS:

BRIEF HISTORY OF BALANCED SCORECARD EFFORTS

increased financial returns;

greater employee alignment to overall goals;

improved collaboration; and

unrelenting focus on strategy.

Balanced Scorecard Collaborative. http://www.bscol.com

clarify and update strategy;

communicate strategy throughout the company;

align unit and individual goals with strategy;

link strategic objectives to long term targets and annual budgets;

identify and align strategic initiatives; and to

conduct periodic performance reviews to learn about and improve strategy.

MODIFYING THE BALANCED SCORECARD APPROACH

Internal Process Perspective

To satisfy our patients, which

To achieve our mission, how

Learning & Growth Perspective

A strategic plan supported by the Board.

Accountability for implementation must be assigned to the Administration by the

Individuals and departments must be provided adequate resources and support

Achievable and unambiguous measures of success must be selected.

Reporting and monitoring mechanisms need to be accessible, regular, and userfriendly.

Performance is acceptable on all dimensions except profit;

No one notices when performance measurement reports arent produced;

Managers spend significant time debating the meaning of the measures;

They havent changed their measures in a long time;

They have too many meetings and not enough action;

Staff says nothing ever changes here;

Department managers do not work in teams effectively to make changes;

Administration doesnt have time to stay on top of everything; and

They recently changed their organizations strategy.

Education through well designed/delivered presentations on performance management

Education of Internal & External Stakeholders

Data: Gathering, Processing, & Benchmarking

Provided by Stroudwater Associates

Building Long-term Sustainability

ESSENTIAL COMPONENTS OF A RURAL BSC MODEL

re-engineering management and strategy process, re-engineering reporting process, regular

Assign Strategies to BSC

*see page 43 for a reproducible version of this tool

from leadership including the administrator/CEO, administrative team, department managers,

Assumes primary ownership for the Balanced Scorecard project

Provides background information to the team on strategy and methodology

Maintains communication with administration and management

Commits resources (both human and financial) to the team

Provides thoughtful leadership on the Balanced Scorecard methodology to the

Ensures that all relevant background material is available to the team

Provides feedback to the executive sponsor (co-leaders) and management

Facilitates the development of an effective team through coaching and support

Provide expert knowledge of business unit or functional operations

Inform and influence their respective peers and co-workers

Act as Balanced Scorecard ambassadors within their unit or department

Act in the best interests of the business as a whole

Kathy Garthe, CEO/Head Coach, Leelanau